For the last two days as well as
tonight I have been supported by the Old Course Hotel at St Andrews; http://www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk/
It has been a delight to stay at such a historic place in a lovely setting
overlooking the famous links courses, the West Sands beaches and the stunning
coastline of Scotland.
My sincere thanks to the staff that made me feel most
welcome. Recently, The Old Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa received a 2012
Travellers' Choice Award from Trip Advisor – I can understand why; I have been
looked after so well here and for an organisation that is clearly busy with
International and British guests, I am sincerely grateful that they took the
time to understand BRIT and were forthcoming in their generosity to assist with
my accommodation.
A short walk from the hotel is
the historic university town of St Andrews. The oldest university in Scotland,
St Andrews is known internationally for research and education of
undergraduates and post-graduates. Founded in 1413, St Andrews is the third
oldest university in the English speaking world. 2013 will mark the 600th
Anniversary celebration of this venerable, yet innovative institution.
When I’ve heard the name St
Andrews it is either due to the golf or the university. It was fascinating today
to hear from young people where the name comes from and just how much history
there is in this town…
...Two tales explain how the bones of St Andrew, the patron saint of the town
(& Scotland), came to rest at what was then called Kilrymont.
One legend suggests that a mediaeval Greek monk (although others describe
him as an Irish assistant of St Columba) called St Rule (or St Regulus) was
warned by an angel in a dream that the remains of St Andrew, who had been
crucified on an X shaped cross and his remains buried in Constantinople, were
in danger and needed to be taken to the 'ends of the earth' for safe-keeping.
Scotland was close to the edge of the known world at that time and when St
Rule was shipwrecked on the Fife coast he came ashore at what is now St
Andrews.
It is perhaps more likely that the relics of St Andrew were brought to the
town in 733 by Accra, a renowned relic collector. There certainly seems to have
been a religious centre at St Andrews at that time, either founded by St Rule
in the sixth century or by Ungus a Pictish King.
Whichever tale is true, the relics were placed in a specially constructed
chapel, which was replaced by the Cathedral of St Andrews in 1160. St Andrews
soon became the religious capital of Scotland and a great centre for mediaeval
pilgrims who came to view the relics. Today St Andrew is celebrated as the
patron saint of all Scotland.
The distinctive saltire flag is the most prominent tribute to his memory,
and Scots commemorate his life each year on November 30.
In the Middle Ages, as the focus for the national cult of St Andrew, the
town became a religious centre of major importance. In the Renaissance the city
was a thriving intellectual centre with links to Paris and other continental
university towns. St Andrews was also an important political and recreational
centre for the Scottish royal family with Mary, Queen of Scots, making several
visits.
Today I was shown a Thistle Tree in the town that is reputed to have been
planted by Mary Queen of Scots.
St Andrews first became a burgh somewhere between 1144 and 1153 when it was
given such a status by Bishop Robert, with the permission of King David I. The
town became a Burgh of Regality in 1614 and was finally confirmed as a Royal
Burgh by James VI in 1620.
During the Reformation the city witnessed the sometimes violent power
struggles between factions. Ultimately supporters of the Protestant faith
gained ascendancy. In the aftermath of the Reformation and more particularly
after the Union with England (1707), the importance of the city declined.
Situated around the town of St Andrews are cobblestone markings denoting
where Protestant martyrs were burnt at the stake. To students, the most notable
of these is the cobblestone initials "PH" located outside the main
gate of St Salvator's College. These cobblestones denote where Patrick Hamilton
was martyred in 1528. According to student tradition, stepping on the
"PH" will cause a student to become cursed, with the effect that the
offender will fail his or her degree and so students are known to jump over the
cobblestones when passing. Aside from the May Dip, an older tradition is that
the remedy for this is to walk three times round the post at the end of the
pier. Other, less superstitious, students pointedly do step on it to
prove the tradition incorrect. It is not uncommon for graduates to deliberately
step on the cobbles immediately after receiving their degree, as a celebration
of having escaped the curse during their undergraduate study.
The May Dip is a student tradition held annually at dawn on May Day.
Students stay awake until dawn, at which time they collectively run into the
North Sea to the sound of madrigals sung by the University Madrigal Group. The
May Dip is also traditionally the only way of removing the curse inflicted by
stepping on the PH cobbles. If a student steps on the stones, he or she can be
forgiven by running into the North Sea at dawn on the First of May.
The photo above shows a face carved into the wall above the place where
Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake and is said to represent his spirit.
I was hosted today by Freddie
Ford, the President of the St Andrews University Student Union Association, and
Student Ambassadors who showed me around the University and St Andrews itself.
 |
| With the President of St Andrews Student Union Association and Ambassadors who walked me round the stunning grounds & University Buildings as well as the City of St Andrews |
The university was founded in 1410 when a charter of incorporation was bestowed upon the Augustinian priory of St Andrews Cathedral. A Papal Bull was issued in 1413 by the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII. A royal charter was granted in 1532. The University grew in size quite rapidly; St John’s College was founded 1418–1430 by Robert of Montrose and Lawrence of Lindores, St Salvator’s College was established in 1450, St Leonard’s College in 1511, and St Mary’s College in 1537. Some of the early college buildings are in use today date from this period such as St Mary’s quadrangle.
In the 19th century, St Andrews offered a traditional education based on
classical languages, divinity and philosophical studies, and at that time was
slow to embrace more practical fields such as science, medicine and law that
were the vogue. Perhaps partly in response to this and to the low number in
pupils, the university merged with University College in Dundee in 1897, which
became a centre of medical, scientific and legal excellence. This affiliation
ended in 1967 when the college, renamed Queen's College, became a separate and
independent institution as the University of Dundee. The loss of teaching facilities
for clinical medicine caused the university's Bute Medical School to form a new
attachment with the University of Manchester, which was then expanding its
clinical medicine intake.
It became increasingly popular amongst the Scottish upper class to send
their children to their oldest higher learning institution, and the university
soon enough saw a renaissance that has been maintained to date. Its current
world-class reputation in teaching and research consistently place St Andrews
as the top university in Scotland and often amongst the top five in the UK.
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| With the super students from Madras College in St Andrews who nwalked with me this afternoon on Day 214 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
While the university has
flourished over the centuries, in the 1980s renewed effort and investment to
strengthen research has meant that the university is now renowned
internationally for excellence in research. Then in 2009, St Andrews became the
first Scottish ancient to appoint a woman as Principal, recruiting Professor
Louise Richardson from Radcliffe Institute, Harvard to lead the university
forward. The university has a diverse student body with 30% of the students
coming from over 100 countries. I had the opportunity to meet some of the
students today and enjoyed discussing their course of study with them and their
plans for the future, post university.
Academically St Andrews has formed partnerships with universities around the world to insure that the university remains one of the best in the world.
Academically St Andrews has formed partnerships with universities around the world to insure that the university remains one of the best in the world.
My thanks to everyone at St Andrews
for spending time with me today and coming on the challenge.
I finished Day 214 with 636 miles.
Best wishes,
Phil